The Scottish Government’s community fund returns with £565,039 available for Aberdeen based projects
The team at ACVO TSI are thrilled to announce that as of October 2nd 2024, the fourth year of the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund is open for applications with local groups invited to apply for up to £15,000 to support projects in the City.
The Fund is dedicated to supporting grassroots projects in the local area, with the initiative having already transformed the lives of individuals within our communities by distributing nearly £2 million to 223 city-based projects during the previous three rounds.
In March 2024, the Scottish Government reaffirmed its commitment to mental health and wellbeing by allocating an additional £15 million across Scotland to the Fund for 2024-25. This significant investment aligns with the ScotGov Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy published last year, emphasising the importance of supporting impactful community-based initiatives.
Previous recipients of the fund include Greyhope Bay for their ‘Clean Beach, Happy People’ project which invited local residents to help care for the coasts around Aberdeen; Street Soccer Scotland’s ‘Football for Mental Health’ initiative; and The Allotment Market Stall’s ‘Growing Healthy Project’ which saw the creation of a vegetable plot run by volunteers on disused land at Grove Nursery in Hazlehead.
Claire Shaw, Funding Officer at ACVO said, “ACVO is delighted to be managing the distribution of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government for a fourth year. The Fund has supported so many innovative projects over the last three years that have across the City. This year we are doing things slightly different in that we have a closing date rather than offering grants on a first come first served basis. I’d urge everyone interested in applying to carefully read the Fund guidance before starting their application.
“The whole team at ACVO take great pleasure in being able to distribute grants to organisations working within our local third sector and seeing the huge positive impact the money has for people living within our local communities.”
This year, the Fund continues to support community-based projects that address social isolation, loneliness, suicide prevention, poverty, and inequality, while prioritising prevention and early intervention.
A total of £565,039 is available for projects in Aberdeen City and local groups can apply for two levels of funding: Level 1 (up to £3,000) and Level 2 (£3,001 – £15,000). Level 1 applications opened on September 25th 2024 while Level 2 applications opened on October 2nd. Both levels will close for applications on Thursday November 7th 2024 at 12noon.
Applicants must complete an online application form, accessible after passing an eligibility checker on the application webpage. Guidance documents are available to assist applicants, and the form allows users to save and return as needed.
A second round of funding, aimed at underrepresented or ‘at risk’ groups, will be available from January 13th to February 7th, 2025. This round is limited to Level 1 applications.
Find out more, and start your application at acvo.org.uk/cmhwfund
